The latest illness to afflict Apple's iMac line is yellowed monitors. The new line, first released in November has suffered many quality issues of different kinds. (Source: Gizmodo)

And it was all yellow...

The new iMacs are sleek and sightly.
They're filled with high-end hardware. And reportedly, many of
them are defective.

Apple's quality woes seem to only to be
getting worse with the holiday season wrapped up. First
released in
October, the iMac quickly began to show signs of trouble, with
Apple's support forums overrun with unhappy users who discovered
their Mac dream machine arrived with a broken
screen or would not boot.

Such woes appeared to only be
the beginning. Gizmodo's Mark Wilson was one of many
users who received a yellowed iMac. He got a replacement, only
to find that one was discolored as well. Then to his dismay, he
found Apple refusing to replace his unit again, instead suggesting he
get it repaired.

I was informed that the company would not issue me
another exchange straight from the factory. I'd, instead, need to get
the iMac repaired at an Apple Store, lest I "want to waste the
time and have to do this all over again." That's right, she
basically admitted that everything coming off the line would be
inflicted with the same disease.

Many other users have become frustrated with similar refusals.
Writes
a user named Laura:

I want the imac purchasers, who have already paid
their money AND spent countless hours being fruitless with their
machine set-ups and troubleshooting attempts, to be put on the top of
the list for receiving brand new WORKING machines. An added bonus
would be for Apple to do this kindly, respectfully, and without any
attitude. We should not be out of pocket, taking time off work and
energy to lug these heavy ibeasts across town looking for a repair;
it's a lemon, Apple — you made it, so please replace it. And please
do it kindly, respectfully, and communicate to us the process, so
that we can all stay in love with all things Apple.

As for Mr. Wilson's iMac, it is now dead and no longer will boot.
The problems that he and others are experiencing seem especially
ironic giving Apple's long track record of bragging about its
unparalleled monitors -- with the iMac being no exception.
Apple's website brags
of the monitor, "The iMac display is designed to look great from
almost any angle. A technology called in-plane switching (IPS) makes
this possible. Whether you’re sitting in front of the display or
standing off to the side, you’ll get a perfect picture with superb
color consistency and no loss of detail."

Early reports
indicate that users who do try to get their faulty displays repaired
have suffered additional issues. So it seems that currently the
"ultimate display", as Apple calls it, is stuck in an
infinite loop of problems, including faulty
graphics, broken screens, failures to boot, and most recently,
yellowed monitors.

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quote: Yep, sure seems like Apple is doomed, I mean look at their sales numbers.

EXACTLY. Look, I'm an Apple guy. I'm sitting here typing this from my Macbook Pro. But even the most fervent, rabid Apple fanboy has to admit that Apple is a big bully when it comes to stuff like this.

Before this I owned an Ibook G4. Airport card was dead and the speaker stopped working. This was something that affected a lot of people. Then I got a different one, and it wouldn't boot at all. Took it in, motherboard was dead. THAT particular problem was one that was affecting a staggering percentage of Ibook G4 notebooks, and an absolutely horrifying percentage of Ibook G3 owners. Did apple ever accept that there was a problem? Yes, for the Ibook G3, literally YEARS after the warranty had ended. They extended it to 3 years, but even then it was so late a lot were still out of warranty.

I like Apple's stuff because it's trendy and when it works, it's very well designed. But when/if it breaks, God help me.

quote: Yep, sure seems like Apple is doomed, I mean look at their sales numbers.

Yes, doomed. Remember when Gateway was considered the best? Remember when everyone wanted a Dell? Both of these companies once held the same prestige that Apple holds today. Then they cut quality, the news spread, and now they are considered average at best. Apple charges premium prices for products that look pretty good but quality control appears to be lacking. Right now, Apple has this appearance of quality, but anti-Apple stories are on the rise (and going beyond tech news sites), especially when the "screw you" customer service takes over. If left unchanged, this is what will doom Apple. At least in Dell and Gateway's case, less quality came with a lower sale price. Apple charges thousands for their products, only to have their customers see them overheat, fail, discolor, and break under normal use. They may get there faster than Dell and Gateway at that pace.